New symptom of headaches Day 13

[RealFoodieRD]

Hello! 

 

I have been experiencing headaches the last couple of days. I've also been feeling extra irritable and a bit lethargic. I was wondering if these are common symptoms at this stage. I'm thinking that maybe I'm not eating enough carbohydrates or just not eating enough in general? I can't say that I'm loving the food. I'm getting bored. I probably need to spend more time prepping and seeking out new recipes but anywho...

 

This is what I ate yesterday:

 

5:45 am: 

coffee with 2-4 T coconut milk

 

7:30 am:

4 egg omelet with kale and roasted cabbage.

Probably about a cup of raw kale and 3/4 c of cabbage. 

1-2 T coconut oil

1/3 avocado

 

10:30 am handful of cashews

 

12:15:

chicken quarter with skin

~3/4 to 1 cup diced potatoes with onions

 

3pm: apple

 

5:45:

8oz Kombucha

 

7 pm: 

Chicken quarter skin on

2 cups shredded brussels sprouts sauteed in olive oil/coconut oil

 

1 can of LaCroix grapefruit

 

Today:

 

7:30 am

3 eggs

2 cups shredded brussels sprouts

3 pieces of bacon

Black tea with 1 tsp pure calm magnesium

 

10:45

1/2 handful of cashews

 

12:25

3/4 can of sardines packed in olive oil

1/4 cup sauerkraut

1 cucumber

Chicken leg with skin

1 date

1 can of LaCroix grapefruit

 

I usually drink around 2 liters of water per day as well. 

 

I'm probably not eating enough. I also realize I'm not supposed to snack, but I don't understand the rationale of eating past the point of being full at meal times if we are supposed to be learning how to listen to our body's hunger and satiety cues. I snack!

[ladyshanny]

Our advice for folks who are not used to eating enough in a meal to get them 4-5 hours without having to snack is to make a larger meal, eat as much as you can, pack it up and take it with you.  Eating with 4-5 hour gaps in between is critical for balancing hormones and blood sugar and allowing your digestive system to assign the nutrients you've just consumed and then relax while your body gets to using what it just received.  Eating constantly interrupts that process.

 

The very fact that you are snacking is an indication that your meals are not large enough.

 

You should also be eating within an hour of waking.  Any specific reason you are having coffee and then your breakfast 90 minutes later? Coffee is an appetite suppressant so for folks that are struggling to eat enough we recommend you save the coffee for after your meal.  Eating too small at breakfast can also be hard to come back from the rest of the day leading to requiring snacks. If you can get that breakfast meal dialled in you might find that things naturally resolve themselves.

 

Headaches can definitely be a result of 13 days of undereating and not drinking enough water.  See if you can bump your meals up and eliminate those snacks.  If you truly have to snack between meals please try to pick at least two of the three macros (protein, fat and carbs) to make a mini meal.  

[QuilterInVA]

Most of us don't know when we really need food or if snacking is a habit. You need to follow the rules of the program if you want the best result. You aren't eating enough veggies. Your breakfast is supposed to be within 1 hour of waking, not 2 hours.

[ladyshanny]

Most of us don't know when we really need food or if snacking is a habit. You need to follow the rules of the program if you want the best result. You aren't eating enough veggies. Your breakfast is supposed to be within 1 hour of waking, not 2 hours.

Quilter, you are right about the inability for some of us to trust our own signals.  Be reminded though that there are actual RULES and there are recommendations.  You can do a Whole30 eating nothing but dates and bananas 18 times a day, that is still a Whole30.  The recommendations surround meal composition and timing.  And yes, the recommendations do bring about the best results.  

 

http://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/